News Briefs

May 5, 2014 | Israeli startup Otonomic, which offers business owners a platform for converting Facebook pages into websites with a single mouse click, has announced the closing of a Series A financing round, raising $1 million. The round was led by RDSeed with participation from angel investors.

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May 5, 2014 | Israeli startup Livelens, a platform for streaming live video to users’ existing followers and friends and schedule upcoming live events, has announced the launch of its mobile application. The Livelens social media platform enables users to stream content directly from a smartphone or tablet to any connected device and additional personal social media pages simultaneously. The company also raised $2 million to help encourage users to monetize their video content with the application.

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May 5, 2014 | Israeli company MyCheck, a checkout app for restaurants and other businesses, has announced a collaboration with PayPal to enable consumers to pay at table through the PayPal app. The app itself enables users to select a restaurant from a list, check-in to the venue, and once there, view ordered items and prices on the mobile device, split the bill (if desired), add a tip, redeem an offer, accrue loyalty card stamps, quickly check out by hitting the pay button without waiting for a check, and receive an email receipt.

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May 5, 2014 | Israeli company IceCure Medical, which uses an extreme-cold-based minimally-invasive procedure for removing tumors, has announced that is beginning clinical trials for treatment of malignant breast cancer tumors. In the past, the company has reported success in treating benign breast tumors and initial success in treating malignant lung cancer tumors.

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May 5, 2014 | UK-based ecommerce giant Shop Direct has announced that it has formed commercial partnerships with two Israeli start-ups: Cimagine and yRuler. Cimagine has created an augmented reality app, allowing customers to visualise how items of furniture would fit into and look in their homes. yRuler has developed technology that enables consumers to virtually try products before they purchase by comparing them to a model in their size or to items they already own. The companies were introduced to Shop Direct by the UK Israel Tech Hub at the British Embassy in Israel.

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May 5, 2014 | Israeli white-label video platform provider Kaltura has acquired Israeli Pay OTT TV services company Tvinci. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed, but it is estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars.

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May 1, 2014 | International technology giant Intel is strengthening its Israeli branch. The company will invest a whopping $6 billion in its Kiryat Gat factory, creating thousands of new jobs over the next few years. The company did not specify precisely what facilities will be added to the factory or what technology will be implemented.

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May 1, 2014 | Israeli startup EverythingMe which develops mobile contextual technology, has won the Lifestyle 2014 Webby Award in the Mobile & Apps category. The company was awarded both the judges decision and the People’s Voice Award for its innovative Android launcher.

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May 1, 2014 | Arab-Israeli startup Datumate, which develops software for the architecture and civil engineering industries, has announced the closing of a $5 million financing round. The round was led by Battery Ventures, with participation from existing investor Al-Bawader.

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May 1, 2014 | Israeli startup Check, which developed an app that allows users to track their finances, will reportedly be acquired by American company Intuit. The Wall Street Journal reports that the American company might pay over $350 million for the Israeli company, which is headquartered in Silicon Valley.

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April 30, 2014 | The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the start of multi-center Phase II clinical trials in the United States to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The treatment will use adult stem cell technology, first introduced by the Hadassah Medical Center’s Professor Dimitrios Karussis, Senior Neurologist and head of Hadassah’s Multiple Sclerosis Center.

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April 30, 2014 | Israeli startup MOBurst, which specializes in mobile advertising, has announced the closing of a financing round, raising $500,000. The round was led by Israeli accelerator Elevator. MOBurst specializes in promoting apps on mobile platform while utilizing the unique abilities of smart devices to help advertisers reach end-users.

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April 30, 2014 | Israeli company Gordian Surgical, a Trendlines Group portfolio company, has announced the closing of a $1 million financing round. The funds were raised from angel investors and a private investment fund. Gordian develops a medical device for opening and suturing abdominal incisions during laparoscopic procedures.

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April 30, 2014 | Israeli Trendlines Group, which operates two incubators in Israel for agritrech and cleantech, will open an incubator in China. The incubator, focused on agritech companies, will be opened in the Anhui Province, which is 500 kilometers north of Shanghai, with in collaboration with Chinese corporation Anhui Luban Construction.

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April 29, 2014 | Israeli biomedical company Bonus BioGroup has begun its human testing phase for its artificially-grown bones. The first transplant was made in a patient’s face, where the bone (created from the patient’s own fat cells) will take approx four months to set and heal. The company is planning a total of 20 bone transplants during the trial.

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